This invention relates to portable insulated containers, and more particularly to a cooler whose contents are cooled by ice cubes above and below the items to be cooled. Portable insulated containers are used to keep foods and beverages cool. Ice cubes are often readily available at motels and home refrigerators. It is common practice to put ice cubes into a cooler with beverage containers. Some food items may spoil if not maintained at low temperature. If they are kept in the ice cubes they may be damaged by the melting ice. It is common practice to place a perforated barrier atop the ice cubes to keep the food items on the barrier away from the melting ice, while the water from the melting ice remains on the bottom of the cooler. However, only the bottom layer of the food items is exposed to the coldest temperature of the ice. The food items in the upper layers are insulated from the ice temperature by the intervening layers of food. Although the lid of the container is insulated, its inner surface will gradually warm up. Dangerous food storage conditions can be reached in the upper layers of food after a period of time even when the ice in the bottom of the cooler has not been exhausted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,731 issued May 24, 1977 to Branscum teaches thermal energy storage containers whose contents may be repeatedly frozen and held in the lid of the container. They cool the contents of the container only from the top. They make the top very heavy when opened. They are not convenient for use with ice cubes because they have a small opening to prevent leaking in the freezer. Once thawed, they must be refrozen before reuse.